How big is Brunei really?
Brunei covers 5,765 km² (2,230 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn close to its true size: it lies near the equator, where the usual world map stretches little.
See Brunei at its true size on the map →True size vs the map
Both drawn at the same scale. The map keeps shapes but swells everything away from the equator.
Brunei in numbers
- Brunei is the 172nd largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Cyprus (5,710 km²), Palestine (6,020 km²), Trinidad and Tobago (5,128 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 42 times the size of Brunei.
Why the map gets Brunei wrong
Brunei lies around 4°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.0 times in every direction, which barely changes its size. Most web maps use this projection because it keeps angles and shapes right for navigation, not because it shows sizes fairly.
In Globegami you can drag a copy of Brunei anywhere on Earth: it keeps its true size and grows or shrinks on the map as it moves, and you can fold the map back into a globe.
Areas: official totals including inland water (UN Statistics Division via Wikidata). Outlines: Natural Earth. How Globegami works